Transhumanism is a movement that explores the ethics and plausibility of, essentially, taking human evolution into our own hands. By means of science and technology, transhumanists explore the possibilities of such things as eliminating biological aging and death (i.e. via cryogenics and advances in medicine), and enhancing and expanding the physical and mental capacities of human beings (i.e. via bionic limbs or computer-chip-like implants in brains). For the most part, they hold these things to be technologically possible in the near future (some believe that a technological singularityis rapidly approaching, in which technology will grow much more rapidly and be difficult for humans to predict or understand, possibly in the form of an artificially created superintelligence.) They generally believe these things to be desirable, although there is ongoing discussion in the transhumanist community of the ethics of these pursuits. Until recently, these ideas probably would have seemed like science fiction to most people. But recent advances in science and technology, like our growing understanding of the human brain as essentially a high-functioning computer, coupled with projected technological breakthroughs, such as the ability to construct biological materials at the molecular level by means of nanotechnology, have made transhumanist pursuits seem more plausible. The real question is, when the time comes when we have the ability to, say, cure a mental illness by means of some artificial brain implant, is there a good reason not to do it? If we do do it, where do you draw the line? Do we draw the line at reconfiguring one’s own brain for ones own pleasure or satisfaction? Transhumanists predict that eventually we will abandon that line, and then we will begin to mold the human experience into whatever we want it to be. Many transhumanists believe that this process has already begun in the form of our current digital culture. We have already grown accustomed to relying on technology, to having answers to all our questions at our fingertips. In some ways we already use technology as an extension of ourselves: for example, many of us rely on our cell phones for important phone numbers, calendar events, etc instead of storing them in our brains the old-fashioned way. Is it only a matter of time until people choose to insert a chip in their brain that would allow for greater memory, computational abilities, etc as a replacement for our current external means? An interesting and familiar example of people using digital technology to mold their existence into what they want it to be can be found in the form of Second Life. Is it possible that history will actually look back on a program like Second Life as a primitive prototype for the development of a virtual world to which we can download our consciousnesses and live in whatever way, in whatever form we choose? Incredulity at such a suggestion is a natural reaction; it has been the reaction of many people throughout history at proposed technologies, only to be proven wrong when those technologies come true. Of course, other speculated technologies have never come true. It remains to be seen if any road blocks will present themselves to the transhumanists’ vision of the future, or if indeed their predictions are correct.
Overview
Transhumanism is a movement that explores the ethics and plausibility of, essentially, taking human evolution into our own hands. By means of science and technology, transhumanists explore the possibilities of such things as eliminating biological aging and death (i.e. via cryogenics and advances in medicine), and enhancing and expanding the physical and mental capacities of human beings (i.e. via bionic limbs or computer-chip-like implants in brains). For the most part, they hold these things to be technologically possible in the near future (some believe that a technological singularity is rapidly approaching, in which technology will grow much more rapidly and be difficult for humans to predict or understand, possibly in the form of an artificially created superintelligence.) They generally believe these things to be desirable, although there is ongoing discussion in the transhumanist community of the ethics of these pursuits.
Until recently, these ideas probably would have seemed like science fiction to most people. But recent advances in science and technology, like our growing understanding of the human brain as essentially a high-functioning computer, coupled with projected technological breakthroughs, such as the ability to construct biological materials at the molecular level by means of nanotechnology, have made transhumanist pursuits seem more plausible. The real question is, when the time comes when we have the ability to, say, cure a mental illness by means of some artificial brain implant, is there a good reason not to do it? If we do do it, where do you draw the line? Do we draw the line at reconfiguring one’s own brain for ones own pleasure or satisfaction? Transhumanists predict that eventually we will abandon that line, and then we will begin to mold the human experience into whatever we want it to be.
Many transhumanists believe that this process has already begun in the form of our current digital culture. We have already grown accustomed to relying on technology, to having answers to all our questions at our fingertips. In some ways we already use technology as an extension of ourselves: for example, many of us rely on our cell phones for important phone numbers, calendar events, etc instead of storing them in our brains the old-fashioned way. Is it only a matter of time until people choose to insert a chip in their brain that would allow for greater memory, computational abilities, etc as a replacement for our current external means? An interesting and familiar example of people using digital technology to mold their existence into what they want it to be can be found in the form of Second Life. Is it possible that history will actually look back on a program like Second Life as a primitive prototype for the development of a virtual world to which we can download our consciousnesses and live in whatever way, in whatever form we choose? Incredulity at such a suggestion is a natural reaction; it has been the reaction of many people throughout history at proposed technologies, only to be proven wrong when those technologies come true. Of course, other speculated technologies have never come true. It remains to be seen if any road blocks will present themselves to the transhumanists’ vision of the future, or if indeed their predictions are correct.
"Transhumanism" Wikipedia page
http://humanityplus.org/-A transhumanist publication
http://www.posthumanism.com/-Another site about trans/post humanism
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